Tournament: Raid Group Rose Cup

There is nothing like a tournament - specifically a Pokémon Go tournament - to close off a good weekend. I actually had the choice to go to this or a faraway event, but I decided the latter wasn't worth it in terms of both cost and effort (plus there was already a taxing competition yesterday, and I did end up quite tired in the morning) so I decided upon the tournament hosted by my raid group and utilizing the current SLA theme.

Typically, for these tournaments, I have little time and sometimes resources to prepare for them, so I tend to craft things at the last minute based on what I think will be useful. I had thought up some of the "bones" of my team prior to today, but it was only today that I thought up of the rest (including one by way of a single occasion that I haven't yet detailed) and registered my team on the SLA before the tournament as is required.

The tournament was held in the same place and with the same vibe as the previous tournament in January. Like before, there were some out-of-town participants for this one, but there were also some in-town participants who have never made themselves known to my raid group, and they accordingly joined at the end of the tournament. In all, there were about the same number of participants as last time.

Thanks to the participants, things were rather lively. It was also lively because there were many surprises that occurred in the tournament. A few Trainers who were expected to do well instead fizzled, and a few others who normally didn't do as well did a bit better. Notably, it was also possible for the tournament to culminate in a "final match", as by the last round, two Trainers were left with neither of them having lost any previous ones, and they were assuredly picked to battle each other; one was in fact one of the newly known participants, and the other was a regular participant. The latter won, though both were equally celebrated.

As for myself, I did surprisingly better this time. Out of five rounds, I won three of them, with some surprising turnouts. In the first match, I lost all three matches, while in the second, I won twice and lost once. Then I lost twice and won once in the third, won all in the fourth, and won twice in the fifth. Some things could have turned out better - perhaps I could have won another in the third match and took a fourth round - but the last round showed a kind of excellence in being able to think things through and win. With three rounds and eight matches won, this is the first time I've been able to take a good majority of progress, finishing thirteenth from the top.

This tournament went in a few different ways, some not as well as they should be and others better than they were expected to be. There were a few thrills and a few spills for many of those involved, myself included. Overall, it was also the way to go at the end of this weekend. While I may not be able to guarantee that future tournaments will work out in this manner, if I do participate, then it might as well have great results somehow for everyone.

One year ago: Let's Go Take Pictures
Two years ago: Community Days!
Three years ago: Competitive or Non-Competitive?